The Board granted service connection for fatigue, chronic headaches, great toenail and toe injury, left foot, and bilateral flat feet with plantar fasciitis after finding new evidence that raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims. Service connection was also granted for lupus, fibromyalgia, vertigo, photophobia, dyspnea, fatigue, Sjogren's syndrome, headache disability (secondary to lupus and fibromyalgia), and an initial effective date of July 29, 2014, for right knee tendonitis with stress fracture of the tibia.
The deciding factor: The Board found new evidence that related to unestablished elements of the claims, specifically a nexus to service, which raised a reasonable possibility of establishing the claims and triggered VA's duty to assist by providing a medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- fatigue, chronic headaches, great toenail and toe injury, left foot, bilateral flat feet with plantar fasciitis, bronchitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2025
- Citation
- 25006700
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bronchitis, COPD, asthma, and plantar fasciitis as not being related to the Veteran's military service. The Board also denied an increased rating for painful malunion of the left clavicle, compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for all service connection and rating issues, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these matters.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the evaluation in excess of 30 percent for chronic headaches was dismissed by the Veteran prior to the promulgation of a decision.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for bronchitis, COPD, asthma, compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for OSA, and an increased rating higher than 20 percent for painful malunion of the left clavicle.
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